April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month
Parkinson’s, which is characterized by a loss of certain nerve cells in the brain that regulate functions like motor control, affects about one million people in the U.S. and millions more globally. It is the second most common progressive neurological disorder and research shows prevalence in the U.S. is increasing.
Parkinson’s symptoms can be challenging to diagnose. And even once diagnosed and put on baseline Parkinson’s treatment, many people with Parkinson’s experience a return of their symptoms between doses, bringing a new meaning to “feeling off.”
For these people, these fluctuations between periods when symptoms are controlled – known as ON periods – and periods when symptoms return – known as OFF periods or OFF episodes, can be very … [Read more...]

MISINFORMATION CAN BE SERIOUS
INFECTIOUS DISEASES:
Can You Separate Fact from Fiction?
MISINFORMATION CAN BE SERIOUS
There’s been a lot of discussion around the mysterious polio-like illness occurring throughout the country, conflicting sentiment around vaccination, and the recent severity of flu epidemics – which killed about 80k people in the US last year alone.
Naturally, it can be confusing to understand which infections are preventable, which diseases are treatable, which you may at risk for contracting, and what to do when symptoms occur. After all, a germ is a germ is a germ, right? Germs are dirty, they make you sick, and that’s the end of that. Well, that’s not quite true.
While viruses and bacteria can both cause infections or illness, they are quite different. With … [Read more...]

FDA GIVES MIAMI PROJECT TO CURE PARALYSIS
GREEN LIGHT TO BEGIN HUMAN TRIAL
Study Represents New Hope for Treating Spinal Cord Injury
The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, a Center of Excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has received permission from the Food and Drug Administration to begin a revolutionary Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety of transplanting human Schwann cells to treat patients with recent spinal cord injuries.
Found mainly in the peripheral nervous system, Schwann cells are essential to sending appropriate electrical signals through the nervous system, and Miami Project scientists and supporters believe they are key to finding cures for paralysis. In what will be the only FDA-approved cell therapy-based clinical trial for sub-acute … [Read more...]